Children's Home run by Associated Wellbeing Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 1 Registered provider: Associated Wellbeing Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has appointed a new manager. She has applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 04/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, there have been several changes to the management team, which has affected the consistency of management oversight at the home. Staff do not always have the knowledge and skills required to keep children safe. They are sometimes unclear about their roles and responsibilities and do not follow children’s individual risk plans consistently. Children are encouraged to access formal education, and they make progress while living at the home. Children enjoy spending time with staff and are encouraged to engage in activities that promote their interests and overall wellbeing.

p.3

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved out of the home. Two children have moved on to semi-independent living. They said that they enjoyed living at the home and had positive relationships with staff. Staff helped them develop their independence skills, which ensured that their moves were successful. However, one child moved out of the home sooner than planned, and their experience of living there was not always positive.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s health needs. Children are encouraged to attend routine health appointments. When children require specialist support to manage their health, training is provided to staff. This enabled one child to make significant progress in managing their health needs.

p.3

improvement to be good

Overall, children make progress in education while living at the home. Managers prioritise supporting children so they can access formal education. When children cannot attend formal education, staff encourage them to access learning at the home or in the community.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to engage in activities that promote their interests and enhance their physical and emotional wellbeing. Children enjoy spending time with staff, whether going for walks or relaxing together in the kitchen.

p.3

improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not always provide staff with clear plans for managing the risks children face. Furthermore, staff fail to follow the plans consistently. Staff do not always carry out room searches and promptly remove items that could be harmful to children. This places children at risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 4 Leaders and managers do not evaluate children’s risks effectively to determine if they can live together safely. Additionally, they do not ensure that the staff have the appropriate knowledge and skills to meet the children’s individual needs. This has resulted in instances where there has been the potential for children to harm one another.

p.3

improvement to be good

Managers and staff build positive working relationships with external professionals to reduce risk for children. Professionals report receiving regular updates on important information, and staff consistently participate in multi-agency meetings. This collaborative approach to safeguarding has significantly reduced the number of missing- from-home episodes for one child.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are not always clear about their roles and responsibilities. They do not implement appropriate and consistent routines and boundaries for children, especially in relation to vaping. This leaves children confused and unsure about what is expected of them. There have also been occasions when staff have struggled to maintain boundaries when challenged by children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Incident records do not always include all the information required for managers to identify and address any shortfalls in staff practice. Discussions do not always take place with staff following incidents when physical intervention is used. This limits opportunities for staff reflection and learning.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are provided with opportunities to engage in training specific to the children’s individual needs. This includes training about vaping and substance misuse. Staff use this knowledge to hold meaningful conversations with children about how to stay safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been several changes to the management team since the last inspection, which has affected the consistency and effectiveness of management oversight at the home. Shortfalls in staff practice have not always been identified and addressed in a timely manner. Leaders and managers acknowledge this shortfall and are taking steps to address it.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has started to make some positive changes at the home, including improving the home environment.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children’s records do not always contain the detail necessary to understand what has happened during incidents. This means that management oversight of staff practice is not always effective.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well structured to support staff reflection and development. The therapist commissioned by the provider frequently attends the meeting to explore different issues with staff, including professional boundaries. Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 5 Leaders and managers do not always follow safer recruitment processes. There is a lack of professional curiosity before employing staff who have previously been dismissed from care roles. Additionally, gaps in employment are not always explored. This increases the risk of unsuitable adults working with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 6

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with clear plans to help them reduce the risk of harm to children. The registered person must also ensure that staff 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 7 follow the plans consistently, including carrying out room searches in a timely manner.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that accurate records are kept of all visitors to the home. This includes managers and senior managers.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must implement effective systems of monitoring and review at the home to ensure that shortfalls in staff practice are identified and addressed in a timely manner. 24 June 2026

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must carry out a thorough evaluation to determine whether the staff have the capacity to address children’s risks and needs. Additionally, children’s 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 8 individual risks must be evaluated to ensure that they can live together safely.

p.7

Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.8

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.8

Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

p.8

Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.8

Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.8

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that any dismissals from previous jobs and any gaps in employment history are explored fully. 24 June 2026

p.8

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.8

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 9 (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

p.8

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that a discussion takes place with the staff involved in the restraint and that the record reflects this.

p.9

Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.9

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.9

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.9

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that incident records detail all the necessary information to ensure that leaders’ and managers’ oversight of staff practice is effective. 24 June 2026

p.9

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Associated Wellbeing Limited

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Prudential Building, 50 Manchester Road, Burnley BB11 1HJ

p.10

Inspectors

Ruth Mortimer-Jones, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2753204 11 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.10

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11